Display box for decorated easter eggs



May 12, 1953 G. c. SPARKS DISPLAY BOX FOR DECORATED EASTER EGGS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 20, 1949 INVENTOR. ge C. Sparks Geor BY May12, 1953 G. c. SPARKS 2,638,210

DISPLAY BOX FOR DECORATED EASTER EGGS Filed Oct. 20. 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVEN TOR.

1i BY Georgga C. Spar s dingy.

Patented May 12, 1953 OFFICE DISPLAY BOX FOR DECORATED EASTER EGGSGeorge Ci Sparks, Chadds Ford, Pa.

Application October 20, 1949, Serial No. 122,507

My invention relates to a new and useful decorated Easter egg box forself-service selling and has for one of its objects to provide ahighlydesirable package of this character that will hold a decorated eggfirmly in place for shipping and display purposes with the chances ofdamage to the egg or its decorations reduced to a minimum.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package for a decoratedEaster egg consisting of a box proper or container having a window orsight opening in one or more contiguous panels, for example, the frontor top or both, said window or opening preferably having a sheet ofstrong transparent material disposedacross it to keep out foreignsubstances and prevent persons touching the egg while permitting anunobstructed view of a large part thereof, and a cradle, rack or floaterassembled within the container to maintain the egg in a substantiallyrigid position.

Another object of this invention is to construct a foldable Easter egcontainer comprising a box or receptacle produced from box board orother suitable material and consisting of a bottom, sides or ends withinturned top flaps having handle receiving slots in the region of thefolds between the sides or ends and their respective top flaps, back andfront walls foldable from the bottom and provided with inturned wingsfor securement to the sides or ends, 'a top closure foldable from thefront wall and having an inturned lip for insertion between the topflaps and the back wall, said front and top closure having an. aperturecovered with a sheet of transparent material, and a box board handlehaving depending portions with enlargements on their ends, saiddepending portions being slidably mounted to permit projection andretraction of the handle and said enlargements being constructed toallow them to be inserted in the slots under certain conditions andthereafter act as stops to prevent accidental withdrawal of the handle.

At .the present time many articles are sold in what are known asself-service stores where patrons inspect the goods displayed, selectwhatever is wanted and carry the same to a cashier for payment. It isone object of this invention to provide a package especially adapted forthe above type of stores in which the goods are well protected againstforeign matter and direct handling although the packages are capable ofbeing stored on top of one another and the contents of all packages atthe front of a shelf will be visible.

Another object of the invention isto provide 1 Claim. (01. 206-4514) acradle that will hold a candy egg at both ends along narrow orrestricted lines within the container or receptacle, said cradlecomprising a bottom wall, upright ends having apertures, the upper edgesof which include flexible gripping elements, and outturned leaves whichengage the sides or ends of the container or receptacle to properlylocate the cradle and supported article and prevent shifting thereof.

Another object of the" invention is to provide a box for a decorated.Easter egg that may be easily and quickly packed therein and then bevisible from top to bottom, on one. side, and the decorations will beprotected during handling of the packaged article.

A further object of this. invention is to provide means for holding thedecorated egg confection out of contact with the walls of the containerso that the decorations will not be damaged and said container will notbe blemished by grease from the confection thus furnishing a packagewhich is always neat in appearance.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of thedetails of construction and combination of elements hereinafter setforth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionapper-tains may understand. how to make and use the same I will describeits construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the decorated Easter egg box'embodyingmy invention.

I Fig. 2 is an enlarged central longitudinal sectional view with thehandle left in elevation and the outline of an Easter egg shown indotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the container blank on a reduced scale.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the cradle.

Fig. 5 is also a similar view of the handle. I

to said back by the score or fold lines l6, side or,

end walls I! defined relative to the bottom I! by score or fold lines18, said side or end walls havins. flaps l9. defined relative to saidside or end;

walls by score or fold lines 2!) and in said fold lines intermediate theends thereof are slots 2| having angular ends that extend into theflaps.

In addition to the elements last above described said blank and foldablecontainer include a front 22, side wings 23, a top closure 24 and a lip25. The front 22 is defined relative to the bottom 12 by the score orfold line ft, the wings 23, similar to those designated M, are definedrelative to the ends of said front 22 by the score or fold lines 27, thetop closure N is defined relative to the front 22 by the score or foldline 23, and the lip I 25 is defined relative to the top closure Ed bythe score or fold line 29.

A sight or window opening is formed in the panel comprising the frontwall and top closure, but could be restricted to either .one of saidfront wall or top closure, and a sheet 3! of stron transparent material,such as Cellophane is disposed across said opening.

The container blank it is folded so that the front, back and end wallsproject upwardly from the bottom and the wings l5 and 23 are turned inand secured, as by pasting, to the respective adjacent end walls. Theflaps it can then be folded inwardly, the top closure swung down- Wardlyand the lip 25 inserted between the rear ends of said'iiap and the innersurface of the back wall. 1

i In order that the individual package may be easily transported ahandle 32, of the same or similar material as the container, consists ofa blank 33, Fig. 5, so fashioned that said blank and the resultanthandle comprise a handheld 34 and legs 35 defined relative to oneanother by the score or fold lines The legs 35 are folded-on the scorelines so as to project at approximately right angles to said handheldand ontheouter or terminal ends of said legs are formed the enlargementsBil which extend beyond opposite side edges of the legs as squareshoulders 38 and the edges of the enlargements between their respectiveshoulders are curved convexly. The distance between an edge of :a handleleg 35 and the outer end of a shoulder extending from the opposite edgeof the same handle leg is approximately the same orslightly lessthan'the overall length of a slot 2i. This construction permits thehandle, as a whole, to be tilted to one side and the shoulders on oneside of the handle inserted in the slots and the handle then tilted tothe opposite side to cause the other shoulders to enter the slots.Thereafter the handle legs will occupy the main straight portions ofthelegs and the shoulders will underlie solid portions of the flaps i9when the handle is extended as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said handle maybe retracted by pushing the legs thereof inward into the interior of thecontainer until the handheld rests on the top closure.

A cradle or floater 39, also of box board or similar material, consistsof a blank lit, Fig. 4, so fashioned and scored that said blank and theresultant cradle comprise a base (if, end panels l2 defined relative tothe ends of said base by score or fold lines lt, and leaves M defined byscore or fold lines t3, and leaves di l defined relative to the panels,said leaves projecting from both sides of said panels, by the score orfold lines d5. Each end panel d2 has an aperture 46, one edge of whichis the case M of the cradle structure and is straight while the oppositeedge is'curvilinear. Said curvilinear edge has a plurality of -spacedslits extending 4 therefrom into the body of the panel to form flexiblegripping elements or fingers ll. Since confection eggs are made tosimulate real eggs and are larger at one end than the other, oneaperture 46 is made larger than the other to accommodate the differentsized ends of the confection eggs.

After a decorated Easter egg, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,isproperly placed upon the cradle base "M, the end panels t? are turnedupwardly until the ends of the egg project through the apertures in saidpanels and the flexible gripping fingers 4 engage the top surface of theegg ends under a slight tension due to the inherent resiliency of saidfingers. The leaves it are then turned outward relative to theirrespective panels and can then be inserted into the container which saidcradle snugly fits.

With the parts thus assembled the Easter egg is retained out of contactwith the walls of the container so that grease will not be deposited onthe wall surfaces which might mar the appearance of the package. Thepacking does not require the use of a wrapper or shredded paper andtherefore expedites the packing operations thus lowering the cost ofpackaging.

For display purposes the packages can be placed on top of one another onshelves, counters and the like with the sight openings outward and thecontents will always be visible to prospective customers. When one ispurchased the handle can be pulled up and the package carried thereby.This provides a very attractive article, especially for children and,particularly if the container is fashioned so that the wallsdiverge-upwardly andthe outer surface is printed in imitation of a chip,straw or other type of basket.

If desired, crease or fold lines may be provided whereby the box body orcontainer unit can be collapsed into a relatively flat parcel while thecradle and handle are not in place but without detaching the wings iiiand 23 from the side or end Walls ll. One of the crease lines 49 extendsthrough the centers of the flaps :9, end walls '91 and bottom 52 and theothers are two V-shaped crease lines lit extending from separated pointsin the line 29 to the adjacent corners of the bottom l2. After the topclosure 24 has been opened and the flaps i9 turned out so as to lie inthe same plane as the end walls H, the bottom, end walls and flaps arefolded inward on the crease lines fit and 542 to collapse the structureinto a relatively compact parcel for shipping and storing purposes.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction herein shown and described as these may be varied withinthe scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit ofmyinvention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

A decorated Easter egg box for self service ng the inner surfaces oi.the end walls with f the base resting on the bottom wall of thecontainer unit, said panels being spaced from thenif'eiid walls andapertured to receive the ends o fuan Easter egg, inturned flapsprojecting from t upper edges of the end walls and substantially idgingthe spaces between the end walls ax; e adjacent end panels, thecontainer unit ha g slots formed in the folds between the en is andtheir respective flaps, said slots term ting in angular end portionswithin the material of the flaps, and a handle consisting of a handheldwith legs projecting at right angles herefrom, said legs havingenlargements on elir terminal ends which enlargements extend {b ndopposite side edges of the legs to form sli ers and have convexly curvedunderneath ed from one shoulder to the other on the same the distancebetween an edge of a handle le'g d the end of a shoulder extending fromthe opposite edge of the same r 6 handle leg being approximately equalto the overall length of a slot including its angular end portions, saidhandle legs being slidable through 'the slets within the spaces betweenthe end UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date --'-"1291,805 Tatum Jan.0, 188* 1,505,292 Wickes Aug. 12, 1924 l,8d5 ,268 Morris June 28, 19322,019,250 Collins Oct. '29, 1935 2,034,809 Grant Mar. 24, 1936 2,157,954Gould May 9, 1939 2,442,980 Lewis June 8, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 502,283 Great Britain Mar. 15, 1939

